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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. swing — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bass — low music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. march — the month
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. swing — in golf
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com